House of Paris – Mile

If you think genre consistency isn’t post-modern enough and you can’t stand the stench of any cuisine that isn’t a fusion, you’re going to love ‘Mile’ by House Of Paris. This Brighton band describes itself as a noir art rock outfit, which can be a little misleading, despite the melancholy tone. Listening to ‘Mile’, I didn’t think: “Hey, this is sort of bleak and monochromatic and I should become an ex-alcoholic private investigator,” rather I wondered where the song decides to go next. Luckily, House Of Paris also call themselves progressive, which often means the guitar player just really likes David Gilmour, but here the vagueness is strangely fitting. ‘Mile’ doesn’t take much time to announce itself – the first few piano chords are immediately accompanied by a voice with an air of nostalgia, but then these little Winehouse-like musings start to change. We’re taken through a whole puberty of genre shifts: from chanson to mellow jazz, then everything becomes heavier and more complex, what seemed a little sombre in the beginning is suddenly quite fierce and fast-paced. There are even parts where a tremolo guitar is being carried by staccato bass and it all climaxes into repetition of an undirected accusation – then, finally, we are released. Come on, record label: unsigned? Not for long.